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Francis Fukuyama's “The End of History and the Last Man” is one of the most insightful books for understanding the strangeness and instability of this political moment.
Fukuyama wrote his landmark book more than 30 years ago, and it’s typically remembered as a triumphalist argument, heralding the permanent victory of liberal democracy at the end of the Cold War. But that’s not quite right. Fukuyama also talked about the serious weaknesses he saw in liberal democracy — how it may not fully satisfy the human soul — and his warnings feel very prescient now.
So I wanted to have Fukuyama on the show to talk through the ideas in his book and how he sees them today, at a time when liberal democracy seems increasingly imperiled around the world. Fukuyama is a political scientist at Stanford University and the author of a number of other great books of political theory, as well as a new memoir, “In the Realm of the Last Man.”
00:00 Intro
02:16 What Is “The End of History”?
06:28 Politics of Recognition
14:12 Megalothymia and Trump
16:03 Nietzsche’s Last Man
18:11 Why Liberalism Feels Flat
22:44 Looking Back on 9/11
26:03 Why Fukuyama Broke Away From the Neoconservatives
39:16 Moderation vs. Bold Reform
44:24 Strong Leader Tradeoffs
46:41 Denmark
53:12 Social Media and Populism
55:42 China
01:00:11 Tech Horizons and Democracy
01:02:46 Agentic A.I. and Arms Race
01:07:50 Elections and Liberal Renewal
01:09:48 State Capacity and Abundance
01:11:50 Moral Energy for Liberalism
01:14:39 Book Recommendations
Read the full transcript here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-francis-fukuyama.html
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Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.
You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html
